Hi all,
Looks like this happens all the time so forgive yet another building regs post.
We have a three-storey terraced house. The house was built around 1890 and featured a bedroom in the attic and a complete staircase...none of this was added.
In January of this year, we stripped the attic and insulated it. We moved the stud wall 1m further into the main room, removed the small door to the storage room and replaced it with a full-size door. The intention was to keep it as a storage room and do something with it in the future.
Upon completing this work, we'd created an inner room with no windows but the space was actually larger and more usable than expected. We added some Velux windows and it became even more liveable.
At that point, we decided to seal up what had been the existing storage door (replaced with a full-size door) and create two separate rooms, both with access to the main staircase.
You can see images of the area and what we've done with it here: https://imgur.com/a/dmPPozQ
Having two separate rooms on the top floor, I asked the council what would be required to have the house reclassified as a four-bed but they told me my works qualified as a 'material alternation' and that I should have contacted an architect and submited a planning application.
I was told I could rectify this issue via a site visit that would cost £475 or so, but I'm not sure the space is compliant with building regs or if I even need to do anything as all we've done is rebuild a stud wall and added a doorway.
Having reviewed Part B of the building regs, I think that it is just a case of installing fire doors to all bedrooms on the first and second floor?
I've seen some other options around linked, mains-powered smoke alarms but reviewing the part b docs this doesn't seem to be a legitimate option. There is an alternative exit on the top floor onto a small flat roof but there is nowhere to go from there other than leaping onto the neighbour's flat roof. Assume this won't fly with the council?
I contacted a surveyor but they won't get involved as the work has already been completed.
Looks like this happens all the time so forgive yet another building regs post.
We have a three-storey terraced house. The house was built around 1890 and featured a bedroom in the attic and a complete staircase...none of this was added.
In January of this year, we stripped the attic and insulated it. We moved the stud wall 1m further into the main room, removed the small door to the storage room and replaced it with a full-size door. The intention was to keep it as a storage room and do something with it in the future.
Upon completing this work, we'd created an inner room with no windows but the space was actually larger and more usable than expected. We added some Velux windows and it became even more liveable.
At that point, we decided to seal up what had been the existing storage door (replaced with a full-size door) and create two separate rooms, both with access to the main staircase.
You can see images of the area and what we've done with it here: https://imgur.com/a/dmPPozQ
Having two separate rooms on the top floor, I asked the council what would be required to have the house reclassified as a four-bed but they told me my works qualified as a 'material alternation' and that I should have contacted an architect and submited a planning application.
I was told I could rectify this issue via a site visit that would cost £475 or so, but I'm not sure the space is compliant with building regs or if I even need to do anything as all we've done is rebuild a stud wall and added a doorway.
Having reviewed Part B of the building regs, I think that it is just a case of installing fire doors to all bedrooms on the first and second floor?
I've seen some other options around linked, mains-powered smoke alarms but reviewing the part b docs this doesn't seem to be a legitimate option. There is an alternative exit on the top floor onto a small flat roof but there is nowhere to go from there other than leaping onto the neighbour's flat roof. Assume this won't fly with the council?
I contacted a surveyor but they won't get involved as the work has already been completed.
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